37114 Posted February 8, 2021 Author Share Posted February 8, 2021 (edited) 36 minutes ago, Joner said: Thats looking the dogs danglies mate, well done. Will this be an exhibition layout.....eventually......covid permitting? Paul Thanks Paul. Yes it is definitely going to shows, I don't really have space to leave it up at home. So far it is booked for: - SWAG Members day April 2021 (but I can't see that happening) - Calne 23rd and 24th October 2021 - Cheltenham October 2022. There are a few other shows that I have attended previously with other layouts that will have it offered to them. There should be some good interest in it, I have been told a couple of times that small O gauge layouts are in demand for shows. Edited February 8, 2021 by 37114 Typo 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted February 8, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 8, 2021 Hoping you get bumped to SWAG 2022 then! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted February 8, 2021 Author Share Posted February 8, 2021 20 minutes ago, Ramblin Rich said: Hoping you get bumped to SWAG 2022 then! Potentially, I already have Parsons Vale at Cheltenham and Trainwest at consecutive weekends in April 2022 so will be a busy month! Due to all the show cancellations over the last year my exhibition calendar planning has gone to pot as I basically have 2 layouts new to the scene with a missing 18 months of show bookings to catch up on. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 Cant have too many gratuitous class 37 shots when they look as good as that Rob, great stuff! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted February 9, 2021 Author Share Posted February 9, 2021 16 minutes ago, sb67 said: Cant have too many gratuitous class 37 shots when they look as good as that Rob, great stuff! Thanks Steve. Although not obvious in the photos it takes up about a third of the length of the layout! I did find myself watching a couple of YouTube videos the other night of sound fitted O gauge class 37's and they did sound great but I realised if I caved in to DCC sound I would never get the class 37 out of Notch 1 before I run out of track so no thrash... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 looks really great Rob, Hopefully the calne show will be on and I can see it then . 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted February 9, 2021 Author Share Posted February 9, 2021 7 minutes ago, rob D2 said: looks really great Rob, Hopefully the calne show will be on and I can see it then . Hopefully so Rob, it is far enough away that hopefully we should be back to a sense of normality by then. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted February 13, 2021 Author Share Posted February 13, 2021 In my last update I mentioned that the VW Beetle seemed a little over scale compared to the other vehicles. While browsing for pictures of scrap Beetles I found a few where the wings had gone missing and I thought it would be a good idea to replicate especially as the less bits on it, the less big it looks. The doors were binned first then I put a cutting disc in the mini drill and carefully attacked the front wings. The interior was then painted and new inner wings made from card. The Beetle was fitted with a torsion bar sub frame/front suspension so I found a few pics on line and had a go at Scratchbuilding something representative out of plasticard and rods. I have left the back wings in place for now as it looks more involved to remove them as I am trying to preserve the paintwork. I also have a Slaters Lowfit in build, but with a twist I am changing the brakes from clasp to RCH 4 shoe. To provide the RCH brake gear, I bought another 13t High goods wagon which I will build up as a Clasp brake version as an alternative running wagon for one of the 03's. While I like Slaters kits I find the instructions far from clear in places and wrong in others, a classic example being it tells you to fit the lamp bracket for the Lowfit offset from the coupling which I dutifully did only to then look at a photo to find the bracket is on the end of the buffer beam and is a special low mounted version that is different to the kit... It is not the end of the world and I can sort it. I am building both wagons together although there is a delay in the 13t wagon as bizarrely there was no floor included but a roof from a van kit instead. Credit to Slaters they sent me the correct part very quickly and were very apologetic so I can now progress the wagon. 10 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted February 17, 2021 Author Share Posted February 17, 2021 The 2 wagons are coming on, the brake gear swap between the wagons has proved relatively straightforward so far and as I have a few days off this week I have some more time on my hands. If I am lucky I might have them in primer by the end of the weekend. The missing vac pipe on the 13T was added after I took the first photo. 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mol_PMB Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 May I ask which Slaters kit you are using for the High? You appear to be building a different diagram to the one illustrated on their website as 7071, I appreciate you’re changing the brakes but yours has a different door and curb rail. https://slatersplastikard.com/linePage.php?code=7071 Does the kit contain a range of options for these? Many thanks, Mol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted February 17, 2021 Author Share Posted February 17, 2021 1 minute ago, Mol_PMB said: May I ask which Slaters kit you are using for the High? You appear to be building a different diagram to the one illustrated on their website as 7071, I appreciate you’re changing the brakes but yours has a different door and curb rail. https://slatersplastikard.com/linePage.php?code=7071 Does the kit contain a range of options for these? Many thanks, Mol Hi, It is 7071 I am using, Slaters include plastic strip for the door strengthening but nothing for the curb rail. The pictures on Slaters boxes are not always a good guide for the box contents unfortunately; the reason I am building the 13t at all is because the picture on the box of the Lowfit (7069) clearly shows an RCH brake model but the model is a Morton brake variant.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mol_PMB Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Many thanks! It’s very odd that they portray the wrong sort of wagon on the picture. I hadn’t bought 7071 because I thought it was the wrong diagram for the wagon I wanted, but it looks like it is actually the right type! cheers Mol 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post 37114 Posted March 20, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 20, 2021 (edited) When someone says "have you heard the story of the class 37, 12t van and the Lowfit with the crashed Mercedes?" You may wonder if this some joke with an ironic punchline however the 4 items have a link as evidenced by the photo below from @Rivercider The above photo was taken from Temple Meads and out of shot to the left is Avon Street. According to the caption and piecing the info together the car had been involved in an accident on Scotland presumably while the owner was visiting from the west country. The car was then loaded onto a Lowfit and trucked down to Bristol for repair at Cruickshank who were the Mercedes dealer at Ashton Gate. To unload the car the wagon was being tripped to Lawrence Hill where a loading dock still existed. When I had Peafore yard I fancied modelling this train having all the ingredients except the crashed Mercedes before I then sold the layout and thus never did the project. I felt like I had unfinished business so this layout has the opportunity to put it right... The 12t van was easy a standard Dapol one renumbered. The 37 is not the same as the real one which was a centre box but I can't afford 2 and I prefer the split box variant. The Lowfit (not yet finished) is as per earlier posts a Slaters one but with different brake gear to match the prototype wagon. The Mercedes was the hard part; 1/43 Mercedes of the right type are hard to find and often £50+ but luckily I found the right model in the Ukraine albeit Left hand drive and modelled as a police car for £8! Furthermore it was diecast and quite thick at the front so making it look damaged would be hard. Thankfully it was well detailed and lots of the parts like the lights and bumpers were separate items. I cut away most of the front then cut the wing away from the bonnet before bending them to shape with pliers. I made a radiator from an old 4mm pallet and used bits of scrap plastic to fill the gaps. The bumper is plastic and was bent to shape carefully. The front axle was bent as well slightly as per the photo Kevin took. Definitely something different and a real modelling challenge! Edited February 24, 2023 by 37114 pictures 15 9 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnaby Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Wow that's quite unique 37114, brilliant. Best 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted March 20, 2021 Author Share Posted March 20, 2021 1 minute ago, Barnaby said: Wow that's quite unique 37114, brilliant. Best Thanks Barnaby, it has been fun and taxing at the same time. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mol_PMB Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Love it! It's little details like this that really make a model. Well observed and well modelled. 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Just caught up with the last few posts Rob, love the attention to detail with the van chassis etc. The Mercedes is brilliantly replicated, little stories like this and the people involved are what makes the railways so interesting. A nice short consist to model in its entirety too. Jo 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted March 20, 2021 Author Share Posted March 20, 2021 2 minutes ago, Steadfast said: Just caught up with the last few posts Rob, love the attention to detail with the van chassis etc. The Mercedes is brilliantly replicated, little stories like this and the people involved are what makes the railways so interesting. A nice short consist to model in its entirety too. Jo Thanks Jo, It is a perfect consist for the layout should be a talking point at shows. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted April 7, 2021 Author Share Posted April 7, 2021 One quandary from earlier in this thread is a way of protecting the class 37 in transit as due to the details on the bogie side it no longer fits in it's box. Likewise the 2 class 03s are screwed to a plinth when in their box which is not conducive to a rapid pack up at shows.... My solution is to make a box that doubles up as a carrying case and a display plinth. A hinged lid will be fitted with an insert to hold the locos in from above. A Heljan depot end kit provides a low relief shed scene and I intend to make a removable fuel point as well. Tonight I did the first bit of woodwork and made a start on assembling the depot end for painting. 9 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold mudmagnet Posted April 8, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 8, 2021 Sounds like a good idea. I've sent a message re the fuel points. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted April 14, 2021 Author Share Posted April 14, 2021 (edited) Week off work this week so have been progressing both the Land Rover and layout. I decided to make the fiddle yard today so I can start using the layout. The fiddle yard broadly follows the principle I used for Peafore Yard in that there is a raised deck for the station level and the lower deck is clear for the cassettes. I had previously made the frame and lower deck so bolted it to the layout. I made a back and side board from 12mm ply, the deck for the upper level being the same. The space under the deck accommodates one cassette of wagons which is handy, the idea being that the cassettes are never lifted. The lid is made from 5mm ply due to weight with various stiffening. Latches secure the lid shut for transport and protect the stock at any show where the layout is left up overnight Edited August 26, 2022 by 37114 Add photos back in 4 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post 37114 Posted April 14, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 14, 2021 (edited) With the fiddle yard up it would have been rude not to have a play. Some serious track cleaning was required and 08950 was the chosen loco. The operating sequence quite simple and was honed on Peafore Yard. Here the empties arrive... The full wagons are collected and moved into the headshunt. The loco then runs around the empties and moves the wagons to the now empty siding before coupling up to the outgoing full wagons. Edited August 26, 2022 by 37114 Add photos back in 22 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted April 14, 2021 Author Share Posted April 14, 2021 (edited) A couple more from tonight; Also Dave popped round for some outdoor modelling, I offered to test run this 12t GWR open he is building which is his first foray into O gauge having been impressed with some of the kits I built. He has lettered it differently on both sides with Post 1964 transfers on this side so it can be used on my layout although technically they all went by the early 1970s so is a bit pre the period I model but none the less it will be a nice model when finished. Edited August 26, 2022 by 37114 Add photos back in 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold jcarta Posted April 14, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 14, 2021 (edited) Looks like someone had some fun tonight ...... Looks great. Jim Edited April 14, 2021 by jcarta 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted April 15, 2021 Author Share Posted April 15, 2021 (edited) More fun today, the kids asked to have a go so some more stock was brought down for cleaning. On of the classic images that got me hooked on Avon Street was of the class 03s shunting Presflos, below the arches of the GWML. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the 7 I have on order. The class 37 also got a run on the molasses tanks. It is not as smooth as I would like and needs both running in and more of a wheel clean. Edited August 26, 2022 by 37114 Add photos back in 19 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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